but, "That he was compelled to do a thing that "made the very hair of his head stand on end." Then hastening to the house with three hundred soldiers, and with the marks of violent indignation on his countenance, he entered, took his place, and attended to the debates for some time. When the question was ready to be put, he suddenly started up, and began to load the parlia ment with the vilest reproaches for their tyranny, ambition, oppression, and robbery of the public. Upon which, stamping with his foot, which was the signal for the soldiers to enter, the place was immediately filled with armed men. Then addressing himself to the members; "For shame," said he, "get you gone. Give પ place to honester men; to those who will more faithfully discharge their trust. You are no longer a parliament; I tell you you are no longer a parliament; the Lord has done with you." Sir Harry Vane exclaiming against this conduct:" Sir Harry," cried Cromwell with a loud voice, "O Sir Harry Vane! the Lord de<liver me from Sir Harry Vane!" Taking hold of Martin by the cloak, thou art a whoremaster; to another, thou art an adulterer; to a third, thou art a drunkard; and to a fourth, thou art a glutton. "It is you," continued he to the members, "that have forced me upon this. "I have sought the Lord night and day that he "would rather slay me than put me upon this "work." Then pointing to the mace," Take "away," cried he, " that bauble." After which, turning out all the members, and clearing the hall, he ordered the doors to be locked, and, putting the key in his pocket, returned Whitehall. to Thus, Thus, by one daring exploit, the new republic was abolished, and the whole command, civil and military, centered in Cromwell only. The people, however, that were spectators in silent wonder of all these precipitate transactions, expressed no disapprobation at the dissolution of a parliament that had overturned the constitution, and destroyed the king. On the contrary, the usurper received congratulatory addresses from the fleet, the corporations, and the army, for having dismissed a parliament that had subjected them to the most cruel impositions. But this politic man was too cautious to be seduced by their praise, or driven on by their exhortations. Unwilling to put forth all his power at once, he resolved still to amuse the people with the form of a commonwealth, which it was the delusion of the times to admire, and to give them a parliament that would be entirely subservient to his commands. For this purpose, consulting with some of the principal officers, it was decreed, that the sovereign power should be vested in one hundred and forty-four persons, under the denomination of a parliament; and he undertook himself to make the choice. The persons pitched upon for exercising this seemingly important trust, were the lowest, meanest, and the most ignorant among the citizens, and the very dregs of the fanatics. He was well apprised that, during the administration of such a group of characters, he alone must govern, or that they must soon throw up the reins of government, which they were unqualified to guide. Accordingly, their practice justified his sagacity. To go farther than others into the absurdities of fanaticism was the chief qualification which each of of these valued himself upon. Their very names, composed of cant phrases borrowed from Scrip ture, and rendered ridiculous by their misapplication, served to show their excess of folly. Not only the names of Zerobabel, Habbakuk, and Mesopotamia, were given to those ignorant creatures, but sometimes whole sentences from Scripture. One of them particularly, who was called Praise God Barebone, a canting leather-seller, gave his name to this odd assembly, and it was called Barebone's parliament. As Their attempts at legislation were entirely correspondent to their stations and characters. they were chiefly composed of antinomians, a sect that, after receiving the spirit, supposed themselves incapable of error, and of fifth-monarchy men, who every hour expected Chrift's coming on earth, they began by chusing eight of their tribe to seek the Lord in prayer, while the rest calmly set down to deliberate upon the suppression of the clergy, the universities, the courts of justice; and, instead of all this, it was their intent to substitute the law of Moses. To this hopeful assembly was committed the treaty of peace with the Dutch; but the embassadors from that nation, though themselves presbyterians, were quite carnal minded to these. They were regarded by the new parliament as worldly men, intent on commerce and industry, and therefore not to be treated with. They insisted that the man of sin should be put away, and a new birth obtained by prayer and meditation. The embassadors, finding themselves unable to converse with them in their way, gave the treaty as hopeless. up The very vulgar began now to exclaim against against so foolish a legislature; and they themselves seemed not insensible of the ridicule which every day was thrown out against them. Cromwell was probably well enough pleased to find that his power was likely to receive no diminution from their endeavours; but began to be ashamed of their complicated absurdities. He had carefully chosen many persons among them entirely devoted to his interests, and these he commanded to dismiss the assembly. Accordingly, by concert, they met earlier than the rest of their fraternity; and observing to each other that this parliament had sat long enough, they hastened to Cromwell, with Rouse, their speaker, at their head, and into his hands they resigned the authority with which he had invested them. Cromwell accepted their resignation with pleasure; but being told that some of the number were refractory, he sent colonel White to clear the house of such as ventured to remain there. They had placed one Moyer in the chair by that time. the colonel had arrived; and he being asked, by the colonel, what they did there, Moyer replied very gravely, that " They were seeking the Lord." "Then you may go elsewhere," cried White; for, to my certain knowledge, the Lord "has not been here these many years." This shadow of a parliament being dissolved, the officers, by their own authority, declared Cromwell protector of the commonwealth of England. Nothing now could withstand his authority; the mayor and aldermen were sent for to give solemnity to his appointment; and he was instituted into his new office at Whitehall, in the palace of the kings of England. He was to be addressed by the title of highness: VOL. III. C and and his power was proclaimed in London and other parts of the kingdom. Thus an obscure. and vulgar man, at the age of fifty-three, rose to unbounded power, first by following small events in his favour, and at length by directing great ones. It was, indeed, in a great measure necessary vernment of the kingdom was adjusted in the |